OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14522726
BURN,FURNACE,EXPLOSION,MOLTEN METAL,SMOKE INHALATION
Event description
EMPLOYEE KILLED IN MOLTEN METAL EXPLOSION
Investigation abstract
WHEN THE BASIC OXYGEN FURNACE WAS IN THE TAPPING OR POURING MODE A SERIES OF EXP NEXT TO A DOOR OPPOSITE THE SIDE WHERE THE MOLTEN METAL ENTERED. EMPLOYEE #1 DI ED OF THIRD DEGREE BURNS AND SMOKE INHALATION. LOSIONS OCCURRED. THE FURNACE REFRACTORY FAILED, ALLOWING THE MOLTEN METAL TO BU RN THROUGH THE SHELL INTO THE TRUNNION WATER JACKET. THERE WERE SEVERAL EXPLOSIO NS WHEN THE MOLTEN METAL CONTACTED THE WATER. IN THE TAPPING MODE THE CHARGING O PENING IS ANGLED TOWARD THE SECOND FLOOR, WHERE THE PULPIT HOUSING IS LOCATED. T HE FURNACE OPERATION IS CONTROLLED FROM THE PULPIT HOUSING. THE EXPLOSIONS FORCE D MOLTEN METAL OUT THE CHARGING OPENING AND ONTO THE SECOND FLOOR, TOWARD THE PU LPIT OPENING. THE MOLTEN METAL ENTERED THE PULPIT THROUGH A SIDE DOOR AND IMMEDI ATELY IGNITED AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS FOUND, DEAD, INSIDE THE PULPIT
Victim
-
#1 Fatality Age 38 M
- Nature of injury
- 5
- Part of body
- 4
- Event type
- 8
- Source
- 28
- Occupation code
- 999
- Human factor
- 14
- Environmental factor
- 11
- Task assigned
- 1
Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.